Brett Favre Uses Ankle To Recreate Retirement Drama All Over Again

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EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ - OCTOBER 11: Quarterback Brett Favre #4 of the Minnesota Vikings reacts on the sideline in the fourth quarter against the New York Jets at New Meadowlands Stadium on October 11, 2010 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Brett Favre

Leave it to Brett Favre to find a way to turn his yearly “Will he play?” melodrama into a weekly series. After an MRI revealed two fractures in his ankle after the Green Bay game (a doctor said it was more of a glorified sprain), Favre immediately used the opportunity to draw attention to his ailment and play up the mystery of whether or not he’d continue his streak.

"It'd be easy to just go, 'Ah, I can't do it.' But once again, all the things that I've accomplished, so many great things that I've accomplished after injuries, and not necessarily the next week, but the whole year, it's basically to be willing to take it on…"

I don’t think anyone disagrees that Favre is tough and rugged and GRRRR MANLY LUMBERJACK MAN for playing through his assorted injuries for two decades. But what I resent is that he never passes up an opportunity to REMIND you just how tough of a son of a gun he is. There’s something so artificial and annoying about it. Then there’s this:

Favre remains uncertain how this decision will be made. "[I'm] not real sure," he said. "I do know, as I tell you guys, 'No one knows your body like you know it. No one knows how much it will hinder you.' Again, this is a little different injury. I don't know how much it would affect me.”

Total lie.

Favre knows EXACTLY how this injury would affect his ability to play. He was rotten in the second half against Green Bay with the injury, and there’s little doubt in my mind that he’ll be compromised against New England on Sunday.

And does anyone buy that he isn’t sure if he can play? Of course not. He clearly wants to play the entire game, no matter how much the ankle affects him.

This is what Favre has done for years now. He cries indecisiveness to the media, when he knows precisely what his intentions are. JEEZ GUYS, I JUST DUNNO IF I CAN GUT IT OUT THIS TIME! STAY TUNED! It’s his way of trying to get people to love him. He needs to be needed. He needs the team to beg him to play to save their season. He needs to be the savior. God forbid he’s ever the PROBLEM.

“I know it is worth considering to play. I will be honest with myself as well as with Brad when that time comes. ... He's the head coach, he makes those decisions. I would think that it would be an open-dialogue deal, 'How do you feel? What do you think?' You weigh the options."

Again, lies. Favre will do everything in his power to bully Childress into playing, and what choice will Childress have? Chilly was the one who went begging for Favre to come back. He was the one who let Favre completely emasculate him. So Favre knows, push comes to shove, Childress isn’t gonna stop him from playing.

"I'm willing to give it a try…"

Completely self-serving. Practice is the time for you to give it a try. You don’t experiment with your injury against a 5-1 team with the season on the line.

“I want to play, and I want to help this team win. I owe that to the guys. I owe that to myself."

Again, you see how Favre twists all this to make it sound like he’s doing you a favor by continuing his streak. You didn’t see anything from him about how he needs to NOT turn the ball over, and how he needs to not throw the ball directly to opposing linebackers. It’s strictly about spinning it so he’s somehow the most charitable person in the world for trying to play (poorly) through this injury, despite the fact that he’s being paid, and that every other NFL player in the universe tries to play through injury.

Expect Favre to play the whole game come Sunday. Expect him to play every game this year, and expect the Vikings to suffer for his glories.